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Friday March 29th

‘House of Gucci’ review: full of talent, great historical fashion

(Photo courtesy of imdb)
(Photo courtesy of imdb)

By Maia Venuti
Staff Writer

“House of Gucci” is the newest release from director Ridley Scott and the crime-drama is based on a true story, telling the tale of the relationship and tragic murder of Maurizio Gucci by his wife, Patrizia Reggiani. The cast consists of exclusively a-list celebrities, with Lady Gaga and Adam Driver starring as Patrizia and Maurizio respectively, but the film also showcases actors such as Jeremy Irons in the role of Rodolfo Gucci, Al Pacino in the role of Aldo Gucci and Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci.

The story as a whole is told in an extremely luxurious and expensive style, which is to be expected when telling the story of one of the most famous fashion houses in the world. The costumes, makeup and set design did an absolutely fantastic job in not only effectively telling the story, but enhancing the viewing experience and giving this re-creation of historical events a feeling of authenticity and legitimacy. 

Something to know about the film’s director, Ridley Scott, is that he is committed to the historical integrity of his films, and he always puts accuracy before all else in historical pieces. Because of this, his storytelling ability is extremely unique, wanting to tell the story as close to as it happened. Scott does a quintessential job at retelling such a chaotic and deeply complicated, messy story in an easy to grasp way that leaves the viewer wanting to further expand their knowledge of the history of Gucci, the men who founded it and the woman that killed one of the pillars of this family business. 

Despite the praise given to the film for its historical accuracy by myself as well as other reviews, the Gucci family disagrees with the praise. Within the past week, the family has released a scathing statement amplifying their disgust with the inaccuracies in the film and how they feel the story was portrayed entirely wrong. The statement can be read below:

“The Gucci family takes note of the release of the film “House of Gucci” and is a bit disconcerted because, although the work claims to want to tell the “true story” of the family, the fears raised by the trailers and interviews released so far, are confirmed: the film carries a narrative that is far from accurate.

The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci – president of the company for 30 years – and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them, attributing to the protagonists, events, a tone and an attitude that never belonged to them. This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today.

Even more objectionable is the reconstruction that becomes mystifying almost to the point of paradox when gets to the point of suggesting an indulgent tone towards a woman who, definitively convicted of having been the instigator of the murder of Maurizio Gucci, is painted not only in the film, but also in the statements made by cast members, as a victim who was trying to survive in a masculine and macho corporate culture.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Moreover, over the course of it 70-year history during which it was a family business, Gucci was an inclusive company. Indeed, precisely in the 1980s – the historical context in which the film is set – women were in several top positions: whether they were members of the family or extraneous to it, these included the president of Gucci America, the Head of Global PR & Communication, and a member of the board of directors of Gucci America.

Gucci is a family that lives honoring the work of its ancestors, whose memory does not deserve to be disturbed to stage a film that is not true and that does not do justice to its protagonists.

The members of the Gucci family reserves every right to protect the name, image and the dignity of their loved ones.” - The Gucci family

While Lady Gaga’s performance as Patrizia is phenomenal and she has been receiving all of the well deserved recognition and praise, the real star of the film for me is Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci. Leto’s portrayal of the foolish and eccentric son of Aldo Gucci is absolutely phenomenal and the hair and makeup design makes Leto entirely unrecognizable. He becomes Paolo Gucci in every way he could have, with the strange fashion choices Paolo made in real life, the extremely complicated and tense relationship between him and his father, Aldo Gucci, is felt through the screen. Jared Leto’s performance in this film makes up for his disastrous portrayal of the Joker in “Suicide Squad” in 2016. 

In summary, go see “House of Gucci.” The glamorous and luxurious story of designer belts, family, love, fraud, and murder all wrapped up in a red and green bow is absolutely fantastic from start to finish and leaves you wanting more. 





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